I am thrilled to see the recent rise in documentary films related to the childfree choice. Laura Scott’s film, The Childless by Choice Project led the way in 2010, and Magenta Baribeau’s Maman? Non merci! (No Kids For Me, Thanks!) won a Best Feature Film Award in 2016.
Filmmaker Maxine Trump’s To Kid Or Not To Kid premiered to a sold out crowd last month at the DOCNYC, the largest documentary film festival in the United States. And filmmaker Therese Shechter is currently in the editing phase of her upcoming documentary, My So-Called Selfish Life, and hopes to complete the film in 2019.
Now add a male documentary filmmaker onto the scene. Alexey Brazhnikov has made over 25 films in more than 20 countries. During the last six years he has been filming primarily in the USA, and has started work on a feature film about childfree people.
Alexey Brazhnikov Filmmography
Alexey Brazhnikov
Beslan Remembers (26 min, documentary, 2006)
Under a Leaden Sky (26 min, documentary, 2006)
Chernobyl – 20 years on (26 min, documentary, 2006)
Ukraine – From East to West (26 min, documentary, 2006)
Russian Jazz (26 min, documentary, 2007)
Moscow Fireflies (26 min, documentary, 2007)
Russian Stunt Artists: Do or Die (26 min, documentary, 2007)
Women’s Day (26 min, documentary, 2007)
Ability to Live (26 min, documentary, 2008)
Sand and Pebble (26 min, documentary, 2008)
One Week with Lakota (52 min, documentary, 2011)
Work in Peace under Twin Oaks (26 min, documentary, 2012)
American Spring: Occupy Wall Street (52 min, documentary, 2012)
Gun Control (26 min, documentary, 2013)
King, Chimp and the Playa (52 min, documentary, 2013)
Being Gay in the USA (26 min, documentary, 2013)
Republic of Texas (26 min, documentary, 2013)
Tangier – the vanishing island (26 min, documentary, 2013)
Transgender Reality in the US (26 min, documentary, 2014)
FRACK US (52 min, documentary, 2014)
Tent City USA (52 min, documentary, 2014)
CHAKRAS (40 min, experimental, 2015)
Ferguson: Life Matters (52 min, documentary, 2015)
Raft to Freedom (26 min, documentary, 2015)
US Veterans: Not Forgotten (48 min, documentary, 2016)
Narco-song of Sinaloa (49 min, documentary, 2017)
Life is Wonderful (8 min, short fiction, 2017)
Have a childfree story from your life you’d like to share? Alexey Brazhnikov wants to talk with you.
If you’d like to share a story about your childfree experience Alexey would love to hear from you. He lives in the Washington DC area but is ready to film anywhere in the US depending on the story. Contact him direct at: [email protected]!
As I wrote last year, films have the power to change the stories people tell themselves about parenthood and reproduction, and as a result, help nudge the progress of social and cultural change. Don’t hesitate to have your story be part of this change!
